Nicole Barry (McDaid)

Nicole Barry (McDaid)

Nicole Barry (McDaid)

Assistant Professor

Nikki Barry (formerly McDaid) is a citizen of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of Fort Hall, Idaho and is also of Paiute and Irish descent. Her research is three-pronged and includes engaging in:

1) psychological research about the cognition of human reasoning and decision-making regarding environmental issues and applying these findings to the design of learning environments that support learners to build better climate futures.

2) community-based design research with Indigenous communities to co-design learning environments that support Indigenous learners as we intergenerationally continue leadership in addressing climate change and environmental problems.

3) community-based design research to build learning environments where Indigenous, Black, Latin@ and Asian/Asian-American students are seen, heard, supported, believed, and loved toward socio-ecologically just world-building.

Nikki earned her Ph.D. in Learning Sciences from Northwestern University, her MA in Teaching from Pacific University and her BS in Sociology from Northeastern University. She also is a parent of three young children and a former middle school and high school teacher.

Awards, Honors and Fellowships

  • Spencer/National Academy of Education dissertation fellowship
  • Gates Millennium Scholarship/Fellowship
  • Center for Native American and Indigenous Research fellowship (Northwestern)

Education

  • Ph.D. in Learning Sciences, Northwestern University
  • M.A. in Teaching, Pacific University
  • B.S. in Sociology, Northeastern University

Select Publications

  • McDaid Barry, N. & Bang, M., Bruce, F., Barajas-Lopez, F. (2023). Then the Nettle People won’t be lonely: Recognizing plant personhood in an Indigenous STEAM summer program. Cognition and Instruction.
  • Bruce, F., Bang, M., Lees, A., McDaid, N., Peters, F., & Bushnell, J. (2023). Indigenous Water Pedagogies: Cultivating Relations Through the Reading of Water. Occasional Paper Series, (49).
  • Marin, A., Ambo, T., McDaid-Morgan, N., White Eyes, R., Bang, M. (2020). Enacting Relationships of Kinship and Care in Educational and Research Settings. In: Arshad Ali and Teresa McCarty (Eds) Critical Youth Research in Education: Methodologies of Praxis and Care. Routledge.
  • Bang, M., McDaid-Morgan, N., & Tsoodle, A. (2020). Creating science learning environments in which Indigenous students can thrive. National Science Teaching Association Blog.
  • Bang M., Montaño Nolan C., McDaid-Morgan N. (2018). Strong Families, Strong Nations: Indigenous family engagement. In McKinley E. & Smith L. (Eds) Handbook of Indigenous Education. Springer, Singapore.